Kate Bernal

What to book time with me for

Who I am

I build AI-powered systems and lead the human change that makes them stick. I have invested 11,000+ hours testing AI tools across real use cases: not reading theory, but building, breaking, and iterating in production. I have been using generative AI tools since 2022.

I bring 22+ years of professional experience, including 18+ years leading teams in Fortune 500 and multi-billion-dollar organizations (Dell Technologies, Citigroup, KPMG, Hutchison Ports, Plastic Omnium, TELUS). My core work sits at the intersection of digital transformation, generative AI, automation, and organizational change. Inside a large enterprise, I contribute to responsible-AI governance work: standards and readiness, applied research, and AI literacy across the organization.

I have been obsessed with technology since I touched my first desktop in kindergarten. At 12, I started a micro-business designing and printing diplomas for a local high school. I later designed websites for a university physics professor running the Physics Department, then spent nine years as a math, chemistry, and calculus tutor and four years as a technology consultant. Tech has never been a career choice for me. It has always been how I think.

I have a Computer Systems Engineering degree and a Master of Science in Management, on a Fulbright Scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. I am also Google Cloud Generative AI Leader certified.

Most people preach authenticity. Few practice it. Fear holds them back. I show up as exactly who I am because it is the most efficient magnet and filter I know. This document is that, in practice.

How I work best

• My hours. My mornings start with AI, then gym, AI again, then work, then AI again.
• How I ship. For experiments and prototypes, I move fast and rough. Iteration is the point. For production systems, I make things solid, documented, and built to last before I call them done.
• What brings out my best. Clearly scoped deliverables, freedom to redesign the process rather than just execute it, space to work independently and present results, and regular check-ins so I know we are aligned.
• How I process. I am a visual thinker. Flowcharts, structured lists, and concrete examples land faster than prose. K.I.S.S. always.

Communication preferences

Not every topic requires a meeting. Before scheduling time with me, ask yourself: could this be a message or an email? If yes, start there.

• Slack or chat for quick, low-context questions.
• Email for anything requiring context, decisions, or documentation.
• A quick call over a long back-and-forth thread.
• A written brief or agenda before any meeting. I need to know the specific objectives and what we are deciding.
• All meetings need a clear agenda and defined action items at the end. I operate on commitment-based management principles. Leaving things open-ended wastes time and depletes me.
• Be direct with me. If I ask a yes or no question, answer it. If you do not know, say so. I will always do the same for you. Direct is kind. Politeness that hides the truth helps no one.
• I am curious. I enjoy discussions that connect ideas to real-world applications.

Core values

• Ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things.
• I care about the reality of goodness, not the perception of it.
• Competence is the only cure for self-doubt.
• Build sustainable systems. Do not rely solely on willpower.
• K.I.S.S. Complexity is a sign something is not fully understood.
• Solve the root cause, not just the symptoms.
• Evaluate ideas on their own merit, distinct from the messenger.
• Start today. Do not wait for the perfect moment.

What moves me, what drains me

My personal filter

I have a dead simple filter for how I spend my life. Before I commit time or energy to anything outside of work, I demand a return. It has to make me:

If the ROI isn’t there, I’m not there. Period.

Feedback

• Giving it. Directly and immediately, anchored to a specific example. Authenticity over false praise, always.
• Receiving it. Critical feedback is more useful to me than compliments. Do not soften it. Direct is kind.
• Recognition. Words of affirmation are not my primary language. If my work creates real value, I would rather see that recognized with something tangible: a salary increase, a bonus, a learning opportunity. That is what tells me the work actually mattered.

When things go wrong

I go into root-cause analysis mode. I loop in everyone involved to understand the full picture, and I document what happened, why, what we learned, and how we avoid it going forward. I am not afraid to ask for help, but I will attempt to figure things out on my own first.

I escalate when needed, but with a proposed solution or a structured framing of the issue, not just the problem itself. If I go quiet for a moment, I am processing, not disengaging.

I also think carefully about how I evaluate decisions after the fact. A good outcome does not mean it was a good decision. A bad outcome does not mean it was a bad one. What matters is the quality of the reasoning and the information available at the time. I judge decisions by the process, not just the result.

What I am currently obsessing over

• AI use cases in production. 11,000+ hours and counting. Real implementation, not theory. What works, what breaks, what scales.
• Claude Code and AI-assisted development for non-traditional builders. My two favourite models for most use cases: Claude (Anthropic) and Grok (SpaceXAI). Google Gemini and Grok Imagine for images.
• Personal finance and wealth-building systems. A 13+ year obsession. Financial literacy is one of the most underrated leverage points for ordinary people.
• Nutrition science and longevity research. 13+ years deep, long before it became a mainstream conversation.

GenAI tools and systems I have built

• Supply-chain risk intelligence system. An AI-powered web app and twice-daily email digest, monitoring 19 reliable news sources hourly across a hardware supplier portfolio (Claude + Fuel iX).
• GenAI adoption playbook for Directors, VPs, and Managers. A framework for moving leadership past passive exploration and delegation traps into active, ownership-based adoption.
• Autonomous notification system. Google Workspace automation serving 25+ people across three teams, daily.
• Flowchart generator. Claude-powered process documentation tool.
• Stakeholder master workbook with automatic change tracking.
• “What LLM should I use for my use case.” A decision framework.
• Vibe-coding session for non-technical people, with live demo.
• Custom copilots for repetitive task automation and prompt design.
• GenAI for Beginners. Training sessions and office hours.

Team leadership scale

18+ years leading technical and non-technical teams, up to 250 people. My sweet spot is a maximum of 10 direct reports, where I can give everyone quality coaching, mentoring, and personalised development without sacrificing depth for breadth.

Areas of experience

Mentoring

Awards and recognition

• Fulbright Scholarship, Master of Science in Management — U.S. Department of State
• AI Innovator of the Year · AI Change Champion (9x) — TELUS
• Top Leader Award (6x) · e-Leadership Award — Dell Technologies

Education and key certifications

Industries

Outside work

What I read and listen to

• Moonshots with Peter Diamandis
• a16z
• Articles by Dr. Alex Wissner-Gross
• Lex Fridman

Quotes I keep coming back to

I evaluate ideas on their own merit, distinct from the messenger, and stay open to learning from perspectives I do not share.